Thursday, September 17, 2009

Heirloom Party

While I enjoy those big ticket items, I am most sentimental about some other smaller things. I have found that it's the ordinary things that mean the most. When my Grandma Mary died my Aunt Jean wanted one of her lipsticks. Revlon's Cherries in the Snow. That lipstick is an heirloom now.

Along those lines, this is one of my favorite heirlooms.

When I was young, maybe six or seven, my Grandma Hattie started asking relatives to "put their names on things." It was kind of creepy. Eventually all her stuff had someone's name on the bottom of it. It kind of scared me. She said she did it to prevent any problems later on. She also said she wouldn't know what things really meant something to us. Fortunately, she lived until I was in my twenties. At some point I talked to her about it and told her that what I really wanted more than anything was this cigar plate.

It hung on her dining room wall in the old house and I can remember thinking it was so beautiful and cool that someone made that. I also loved that she looked like an old fashioned china doll. I think it was hard to believe that my grandmother was once so small.

I (thankfully) don't know a single person who smokes cigars anymore which makes the labels all the more charming. I believe the plate is about a hundred years old. Now that's a craft with some staying power. All you Modge Podgers- you just never know!

Loved the stories & the plate. My Grandma did the same thing with having us put our name on the bottom of something we wanted. It did seem sort of creepy at the time but it did makes things easier to divide up after her death.

Hello Jane - what a sweet story! Love that plate. I'm so glad you have it to enjoy! Btw...my fave nail polish color is Revlon's Cherries in the Snow! Sounds like they kept the name around but made it into a polish over time. hee hee.

Crafty Goals 2010

Jane

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About Out of the Crayon Box

Welcome! This is my very own show and tell for all the things I do out of the Crayon Box. When I am not with the Crayons or grading their papers, I am most likely making some sort of mess in the name of creativity.

Updated: My Many Colored Crayons- the blog about life in my inner city classroom is on hiatus (to use a Hollywood term) and is unavailable. Rest assured, things are grooving along in the Crayon Box and this year's Crayons are a vibrant mix of pastels, primary colors and of course, some hot colors too.